Game Report: Brownsburg 53 Westfield 44

<p>Westfield came into this road matchup ranked #6 in 4A, and they were being led by [player_tooltip player_id="870222" first="Braden" last="Smith"] at 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game this year. Brownsburg came in at a 9-6 record with five losses by five points or less. In the first quarter though, it was all Brownsburg as [player_tooltip player_id="1275779" first="Kanon" last="Catchings"] caught fire with 7 first-quarter points, and Elhadj Diallo knocked down two triples. However, Westfield got hot from the outside and was able to go end the first quarter down just one possession. Brownsburg would lead 15-12.</p> <p>In the second quarter, Westfield’s Cam Haffner got hot, and he started launching from the outside. He would hit three 3’s in the first half to lead Westfield with 9 points. However, Brownsburg started getting it inside to [player_tooltip player_id="1168167" first="Shon" last="Tupuola"] who was dominating the paint all half. He would have 5 points and 7 rebounds early. The big story, however, was [player_tooltip player_id="870222" first="Braden" last="Smith"] who had just 2 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist in the first half. The two teams were tied at 25 at the break.</p> <p>The big story in the second half was the absence of [player_tooltip player_id="870222" first="Braden" last="Smith"] for Westfield. He was on the end of the bench and not in uniform, so Westfield had to find someone to step up. This person was a sophomore, [player_tooltip player_id="1275749" first="Trey" last="Buchanan"]. He played the entire second half, and he came up big for the Shamrocks with two triples in the quarter. However, [player_tooltip player_id="1275779" first="Kanon" last="Catchings"] continued his success as he was getting to his spots and knocking down the jumpers. Brownsburg would lead 38-33 after three quarters.</p> <p>In the final quarter, both teams went cold, but Elhadj Diallo stepped up in a major way, getting to the rim or knocking down shots from the outside. He seemed to be able to answer every single one of Westfield’s buckets. On the other end, Buchanan continued to knock down triples, and Nic Despasquale was getting buckets on the inside. However, Westfield was not able to get enough offense going without Smith on the floor. Brownsburg would hold on for a 53-44 victory behind 21 points from Diallo. [player_tooltip player_id="1275779" first="Kanon" last="Catchings"] also added 14, and [player_tooltip player_id="1168167" first="Shon" last="Tupuola"] added 5 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Westfield was led by [player_tooltip player_id="1275749" first="Trey" last="Buchanan"] with 12 points on 4-5 from three and 7 rebounds. Cam Haffner added 11 points on 3 triples, and [player_tooltip player_id="1063967" first="Nic" last="Depasquale"] added 10 points and 6 rebounds.</p> <p>On Sunday, we will be back with some player evaluations from this game. For now, just know that the [player_tooltip player_id="870222" first="Braden" last="Smith"] story is going to be one to watch, but [player_tooltip player_id="1275749" first="Trey" last="Buchanan"] stepped up in a major way and was able to step up to provide valuable minutes. He will be one to watch in the years to come. The young squad at Brownsburg is very impressive, and the scoring duo of Elhadj Diallo and [player_tooltip player_id="1275779" first="Kanon" last="Catchings"] make this team tough to beat and should be players to watch in the coming years.</p>